That’s Not How You Use That: Camera Flash at Concerts

Matt & Kim, performing at South by Southwest, as seen over the audience's cameraphones. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Summer is upon us, and so are the music festivals that go along with the rising temperatures. And since these festivals run into the late-night hours, many of you will attempt to photograph your favorite headlining band from the middle of the crowd with your smartphone’s flash in the “on” position. Stop it.

The flash on your smartphone (or any camera, including that really expensive DSLR you bought that’s still set to “Auto”) is only practical in close quarters. It can only illuminate subjects about five feet away, or 10 feet if you really splurged on a nice camera. Unless you’re in the very front row of the concert and you can smell the last meal the lead singer consumed, all the flash does is light up the back of the head of the person in front of you. In fact, by using the flash, you’re actually degrading the photo of the subject you’re trying to capture. The band on stage will be a dim blur of color in the background.

Not sure who’s onstage, but at least we know the guy in front of us is wearing a hat. Photo: Roberto Baldwin/Wired

In auto mode with the flash on, your smartphone and camera compensate for the light that’s about to blind everyone around you. The camera adjusts the exposure for an explosion of light, the rest of the photo is actually darker than if you turned the flash off.

This advice should be heeded for all outdoor evening events where you’re trying to take a picture of anything more than a few paces away. For sporting events, a flash is even less useful. With the stadium lights flooding the playing field, you’re pitiful flash is about as effective as a flashlight pointed at the Bat Signal. It’s useless.

So before you take that night photo of Daft Punk on stage, (just kidding, they’ll never tour), or of Yoenis Cespedes knocking one to straight away center, check your settings and turn off the flash.